Dungeon
by Sakura245
Summary: Jae-ha had had been a prisoner for as long as he could remember. He was kept on the ground, under a lock and key. But he would change his fate. One day he would soar...
1. Chapter 1

Chains jingled as Jae-ha stirred in his sleep. The noise would have awoken most people, but not him, he was used to it. He was a prisoner, that would never change, the villagers said, but Jae-ha believed differently. He'd promised himself that he would one day leave this dungeon behind. It would no longer exist, the chains on his ankles and wrists would disappear as if they were never there, and this 'cursed leg' would be something that freed him.

He was 11 years old. His spirit was free, unlike his body. His physical body was held captive in a dank windowless room that often reeked of mildew and degrading metal. Given the chance he could have been perfectly independent, but that opportunity never displayed itself. He'd been imprisoned in a stupid tiny room for his whole life.

At the age of 9, it was very hard for him to process why he was confined to such a small place. Now, two years later, he understood that one day a king would come and take him for his power. He'd never met this legendary king and frankly, he doubted that he ever would. The previous generation Green Dragon never met this king, nor had the one before him. He wasn't even sure if this king existed, if the king did exist, Jae-ha hated him. He was the reason the Green Dragon was on the ground, and not in the sky like the previous Green Dragon told stories about. His village kept him there, waiting for that king, and if the king never showed up, it didn't matter to them. Jae-ha would rot in the dark alone and they wouldn't care. A new Green Dragon would be born and the cycle would continue.

A banging on the wooden door, the only way in or out of his cell awoke him. His breakfast was here. A bowl of some kind of lukewarm mush was shoved through an opening at the bottom of the door. The boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He never liked what he was fed or how they gave him his food. It was always by means that avoided contact, through a tiny opening. He wanted to keep his pride and turn away from the food, but he was hungry. He sighed to himself and crawled his way to the food, no easy feat. There had been a few times where his chains kept him from reaching the food and he went a while without eating. It'd gone on for three days once. A torturous time, he'd laid there, starving, his food, literally, just out of reach.

This time he managed to get to his bowl of mush. He greedily shoveled it into his mouth with the spoon that was provided. He pretended to be okay with the tasteless grains in his mouth. When he was done, he just sat and thought. Not a very common thing for a boy of his age to do, but there was little else he could do. He could try to get off the ground again, he'd done that a few times, but each time, he got knocked out and stronger chains replaced his broken ones. This time, he thought of what he would say if this king ever came. 'I'm sorry, but I have no interest in becoming your slave.' 'Forget it, you'll never catch me!' or he'd just jump towards the heavens, leave this place, and never look back...

Jae-ha wondered if he really could take flight like how they said. He never knew, for he'd always been bound to earth. He looked at his leg, despite his ankles being linked to a stone wall, something told him that one day he would soar.

 **I hope this didn't turn out to look like code. I'm not sure what it was doing. Anyway, Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Jae-ha wasn't feeling well. That was an understatement... He had a deep flare of pain in his side, blurred vision, and a fever. His apatite was gone, completely. Make no mistake, he was still hungry, with the tiny meals he got, his hunger wouldn't be erased. He reached his meal and almost a minute after taking a spoonful, it felt like his body rejected it. Every swallow of food and his lean body doubled over as crippling waves of pain erupted from his stomach. He figured that the food wasn't all that healthy, but still, to have this effect on him, it didn't add up.

A guard or someone must have noticed because at one point a girl, a bit older than him came in with a medical bag and a grim or frightened expression. His eyes rolled tiredly up to her face. She was pretty, with raven colored hair and eyes that were just as black. Normally, he would have been excited to see someone new, especially a girl... But he couldn't be excited over that because he was in serious pain. Another explosion of pain, and he bit his lip and curled into a tight ball.

The girl inhaled deeply and walked over to him. The pain receded and he let himself relax a bit. "Why are you here?" He asked quietly. His feverish mind was too tired to joke, threaten, or form a pick up line. He only had enough focus to ask the simplest questions. Instead of answering, she grabbed his chin and firmly turned his head, so she could examine his face in the dim light. He attempted to protest, to fight, to pull away, maybe, but somehow he couldn't. Her grip was strong, that, or he was just weaker than he originally thought.

She finally released him. "You're sick, so they called a medical herbalist." She laid a cool hand on his burning forehead and pursed her lips. "What does it matter if I'm sick?" Jae-ha said weakly, although not shying away from her touch this time. "The village doesn't care. To them, I'm just a slave to be sold off. " He gasped and yelped as she prodded a sensitive spot on his stomach. He curled up again and groaned. "More or less." She said, almost apathetically, she obviously couldn't hide the sympathy in her voice. "They still sent me... You're important enough for that at least."

The herbalist never seemed to come entirely to a conclusion. She pulled out a huge book with illustrations of leaves and flowers and began leafing through it. Jae-ha figured it was to find a cure, but after an hour of her reading, he began to get a bit testy. "Are you finding a cure?" He asked, almost annoyed. "More or less." She said again. "I tried to earlier, but it's hard to figure out, now I'm just studying. I don't want to be the lowest in my class forever."

Jae-ha nearly boiled over with annoyance, before he could say anything, the girl had flipped her hair, knocked on the cell door, and left him alone. He slumped back in his corner, in pain and lonely. He felt like kicking himself, the only girl near his age he'd ever met and he may never see her again. Then, for a second, a pair of onyx eyes stared at him through the food slot. "I'll bring you the remedy by tomorrow." He voice said. The slot closed and he was alone in the dark again, yet somehow he felt a new bit of light inside him.

 **Love it?Hate it? Please comment! More comments=Faster Updates!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Holidays! Sorry if it took me so long to update and this is a short chapter. Lo siento! I've had some writer's block, but here it is...**

Jae-ha's stomach still hurt the next day, but he didn't focus on that. The girl was going to come back with a cure. Despite her lack of gentleness when she examined him, it thrilled him to have actual human contact. He waited, his stomach raging whenever he swallowed a spoonful of whatever he ate everyday. He gave up on eating, he'd rather feel hunger pains than the weird flare of pain.

She finally came. "How are you holding up?" She asked. Jae-ha tried to sit up, but he cried out and sank back into the fetal position. "So, not that well then?" She responded. The boy managed a weak smile. "I'm doing okay." He said, trying to be strong. The medic knelt next to him and prodded him in the stomach. He curled up tighter and groaned.

"That sounded painful." She remarked.

"It wouldn't be painful if you didn't touch there." Jae-ha responded through gritted teeth. He suddenly didn't want her here any more. "I have the cure." She said, putting a hand on his head. "Here." She said as she pulled out a vial of a brownish liquid and trusted it to his lips. It smelled strange and Jae-ha tried to inch away, but she tilted his head up and poured the strange concoction down his throat. He tried to fight, unwilling to let the disgusting liquid enter his body. In the end, he swallowed more or less against his will. He shut his eyes and stuck out his tongue, wishing the taste would leave his mouth.

"Sorry, I couldn't make it taste good. But I'm not in the business of making things taste good. I make them heal people." He didn't feel any better, if anything, he felt worst as a shudder ran like an aftershock through his body. "Let it run its course. You'll be better within the week." He realized that she'd leave now. Really, he was disappointed. Yes, she wasn't gentle, and if anything, she drove him a bit crazy, but still he liked her company more than the company of the rats. Or the company of the head warden who often kicked Jae-ha if he broke his chains or if he tried to yell about his lack of basic human rights.

"I'm coming back." She said. He looked up, excited. " You need to take the medicine twice a day, everyday for the week." Now he groaned. "I know it tastes awful. But still, it will be worth it when the treatment is over." She stood up and left. "I'll be back tonight."

 **Love it? Hate it? Please Review! I will seriously update faster if I have more reviews. Questions, Comments, Suggestions? I will answer all... I CRAVE THE REVIEWS!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Sorry that I haven't posted lately. I've been working on other stories and school. I've also had a bit of writer's block, that's never fun... So, anyway, Enjoy.**

The girl returned as promised. Jae-ha would have been happy, had she not brought another vial of medicine.

When she came, he was curled into the fetal position, clutching his stomach. "Did it get worse?" She asked, concern filling her voice. "Possibly." He responded as he bit down on his lip. Blood flowed freely when his teeth cut into his skin. He couldn't care less. The pain in his abdomen was so great that not much else mattered. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to get past another wave of agony.

"Whoa." The girl began, kneeling next to him. "You really don't want to do that. You could get an infection." A hand swept his long bangs from his eyes. He released a breath as the pain was over for the moment. He managed to sit up, the chains jingling loudly.

The girl shuddered at the noise, but Jae-ha offered no reaction. "Is it always that loud?" She asked, her eyes wide. "What?" Jae-ha responded. "The chains? I guess. I've been here my whole life so I can't say I really notice." She laid the medicine in his hand. Now it was Jae-ha's turn to shudder.

"You're absolutely sure that I need to take this?" He questioned, sighing.

"Yes." She responded. "Drink it now or I'll shove it down your throat." Jae-ha raised his hands in surrender, not wanting to repeat the scenario of her dumping the mixture into his mouth again.

He poured the whole thing into his mouth and swallowed, wearing a pained expression. The taste definitely hadn't improved. The girl threw him a pitying expression.

Another wave of pain overtook him suddenly, and he laid on the floor. He writhed around, groaning, tears gathering around his eyes. A hand stroked his hair comfortingly. Something he wasn't used to, but he didn't resist. It was one of the few signs of kindness that he had ever received. "Just take deep breaths." The girl said in a soft voice. He did as she said, not sure if it helped him at all.

He couldn't talk because of the pain. His whimpers came out in a sad, pitiful way. "Just wait." The girl soothed. "It will be over soon." She stayed like that. He cried.

He didn't want to admit it. He still had some pride. It wasn't just the pain that made tears fall from his eyes. It was everything that he'd been through. The chains. The dungeon. His life. Being boxed in. He cried about all of it. She knew. He could sense it. "It's alright." She repeated, as he fell asleep slowly. "As I said before, it will be over soon."

She sighed as Jae-ha laid curled up in the corner of his cell. It had been a good idea to put sleep assisting herbs into the mix for his medicine. He would have had too hard a time sleeping without them. She took a look around the dank cell. The kid didn't belong here. No one did, other than criminals.

She put a gentle hand on his head. As long as he could endure it for a bit longer, he would never have to return to it. Silently, she left the cell.

 **Yay! Tears! For any of you who don't know, I love sad stories and drama. Oh, and character pain, which is strange because I am a very happy person in general. If you want tears, I strongly recommend the anime** ** _Laughing Under the Clouds/Donten ni Warau._** **I wrote a few fanfictions for that fandom as well. Any suggestions? Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi! I haven't updated in forever!** ** _Star Wars Rebels_** **has been ruling my fanfiction life! I hope you like this chapter!**

"Wake up!" A feminine voice commanded.

"Huh?" Jae-ha forced his eyes open, no easy feat. He'd improved, and he could finally eat something and not curl up in pain.

"You heard me!" She whispered frantically.

"Is it really time to take that stuff?" He asked groggily.

"No, you idiot! I'm getting you out of her!" She said as she knelt beside him, rummaging through her bag.

"HUH?!" Jae-ha responded, giving her his full attention.

She finally pulled out a large vial, and roughly yanked his head in front of her. He yelped, and despite what she was saying, he tried to pull his hand away. "Calm down!" She instructed as she dripped a greenish liquid onto his bonds. "Hold still for me. This acid isn't supposed to hurt organic matter, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to risk it."

The word "acid" made him want to push her away, but she was breaking his chains. He'd never known his wrists and ankles without the chains. What would it be like?

She continued to smear a foul smelling concoction on the chains. The rusted metal burned away. He gasped, it was actually working! "Okay," she said, prying off the clamps. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Jae-ha whispered, grabbing her hand.

"What?!" She asked, annoyed that he would slow them down a little.

"Why are you doing this? They say it all the time, that I'm a monster. So, why would you help me? Are you apart of a resistance?" His eyes were pleading.

She sighed. "Kids don't belong in cages. I don't belong to a resistance, I'm doing this on my own accord. You satisfied with my answer? We need to go now!"

The prison wasn't large, but it was well guarded enough. The young medic was able to fight with a pair of knives that she had.

"We're almost out!" She said as they dodged a guard. "Then you can run."

"What will you do?" He asked, realizing that he couldn't take her into the sky with him.

"My place is here. I promise, it will all be fine." She pressed one of her knives into his hand. "Keep it."

They were outside when they were grabbed by guards.

The girl's arms were pinned down and she was forced to her knees. A man's hand trapped Jae-ha's wrist. "You really thought that you could help this demon escape."

The girl smiled. "No, I really knew that I could help this boy escape." She closed her eyes for a second. "Jae-ha, I know you can do it. Soar!"

He didn't move. He couldn't leave her. She'd brought him back to health and tried to get him to leave. "I can't," he said quietly.

"Yes, you can!" She yelled. "I'll be fine." A moment of silence. "Jae-ha, go now!" She screamed.

He swallowed hard. "I'll see you again," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Then, he kicked the man's arm, breaking it. When his wrist was free, he slammed his foot against the ground, and for the first time in his life, he flew.

The girl watched as he soared away. Happiness for him flooded inside of her. "You helped him run?! Do you have any idea what you've unleashed? That boy's a monster! And you've let him out. Do you have any idea what the consequences are?"

She released a half laugh. "I know what I'm in for. I don't care, he's not a monster. He's free now, that's all that matters."

 **So, there you have it. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Oh, and quick question: Should I continue this fanfiction? I think I can end it here, or I can try to show more of Jae-ha and develop him a bit more. What do you think? PLEASE REVIEW!**


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